2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited on 2040-cars

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2021 Subaru Impreza gets new driving modes for a mild price increase

Subaru has announced pricing information for the 2021 Impreza. It costs a little bit more than the outgoing 2020 model, but some trim levels gain a new feature named SI-Drive that adds two driving modes. Pricing for the 2021 Impreza sedan, the company's entry-level model, starts at $19,720 including a mandatory $925 destination charge. For context, the 2020 model cost $19,595. Putting a 2021 in your driveway will cost $100 more, but Subaru increased its destination charge by $25, so the next model year will bring a $125 increase. That figure corresponds to a base variant equipped with a five-speed manual transmission. Motorists who want two pedals need to plan on spending $1,120 more for a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The lineup still includes four trim levels called base, Premium, Sport, and Limited, respectively. The CVT-only range-topping model costs $26,820 including destination, a $125 drop compared to 2020. On the hatchback side of the portfolio, the base model costs $20,220 and the more upscale Limited carries a price of $27,320. Subaru gave the Impreza a mid-cycle update for 2020, so the 2021 model is essentially unchanged with the exception of an SI-Drive performance management system. Only offered on cars equipped with the CVT, it adds two driving modes that "allow the driver to maximize engine performance, control, and efficiency," according to the brand. This technology is already found in several global Subaru models, including the WRX. Although the Crosstrek entered the 2021 model year with a bigger engine, the Impreza it's based on remains exclusively available with a 2.0-liter flat-four engine rated at 152 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque. Subaru's symmetrical all-wheel drive system comes standard regardless of trim level or body style. Subaru will begin sending the 2021 Impreza to its American dealers in October 2020. It will join the rest of the lineup with one exception: the BRZ. Production of the enthusiast-approved coupe is ending, and the company has stopped taking new orders for the model in Japan. It's again working with partner Toyota to bring a second-generation model to the market, and we hear it might make its debut in time for the 2022 model year. Related Video:    

Subaru files for S209 trademark in the U.S.

Last week, Subaru filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Organization to trademark "S209." The paperwork indicates Subaru would like to apply it to "automobiles, structural parts, and structural fittings therefor," and "floor mats for automobiles." An application doesn't mean anything, but the obvious deduction would be that Subaru is thinking about another special edition Impreza WRX STI for the U.S. market, one that brings a taste of JDM-only nomenclature our way. The S appellation is as serious to the Subaru Tecnica International division as STI is to Subaru overall. The STI boffins have rolled out these extra special modes since the S201 STI in 2000, the Japanese market reaping a new S harvest every couple of years. Our last distant visions of such were the S207 shown at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, and the S208 revealed last year. The 208 benefited from a bump in horsepower, from 323 hp to 329 hp and 319 pound-feet of torque, quick-ratio steering, a front strut tower brace, Bilstein dampers as part of a DampMatic II suspension, torque vectoring front and rear, 19-inch BBS wheels, Brembo brakes, a carbon roof, and an unmissable rear spoiler. None of the previous "S" models made it to the U.S. If this one does, we can only guess how Subaru will differentiate it from the hottest Impreza we've had, the recent Type RA (pictured). Our Type RA lost 68 pounds with the help of a carbon roof and spoiler, while a bag of engine mods and revised gearing helped make the most of unchanged 310 hp and 290 lb-ft from the 2.5-liter EJ25 engine. A power bump would likely be first on the wishlist for an S209, but it should be noted that the recent Japanese S cars have used the EJ207 2.0-liter boxer-four, not our 2.5-liter. As with the carmaker's home market, we'd expect an S209 to go into severely limited production. Subaru built 300 units of the S206, 400 of the S207, and 450 of the S208. Even if we do get a brawnier STI, Japan is likely to keep its power close with the WRX STI TC 380 teased last month, putting out 375 hp from a 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer-four. Still, the South-Africa-only WRX STI Diamond Edition rocked 349 hp and 342 lb-ft from its 2.5-liter, so there's a lot of headroom for a U.S. S209 to play with. If we get one, that is. Related Video:

Seeing the sights with Subaru EyeSight's Touring Assist | Autoblog in Japan

Autoblog recently went to Japan to drive cars, ride trains, and talk to carmakers about automotive history and the future of mobility. This video is part of a larger series of special reports from Japan. TOKYO — The interesting thing about Subaru's EyeSight technology is that — like its name suggests — it relies mostly on the stereoscopic color cameras located behind the rear-view mirror that scan the road ahead of the car. We've had EyeSight available here in the U.S. for years now, controlling features like pre-collision braking and throttle control, and adaptive cruise control. The cameras can detect vehicles, pedestrians and lane markings, and judge their distance. It uses color images to recognize brake lights, which add another piece of important input when making critical life-or-death decisions. New for Japan, though, is an EyeSight upgrade called Touring Assist. Touring Assist builds upon the capabilities of EyeSight with more robust lane tracing, adaptive cruise control and steering assist. Before expending to other markets or other models, Touring Assist is only available on the Subaru Levorg and WRX in Japan. The capabilities of lane tracing have been expanded for use at any speed, rather than just over 37 miles per hour. Additionally, Touring Assist adds automated steering to help keep you in your lane. This uses the cameras not just to read and adhere to the lane markings but, at speeds of up to 37 mph, to also follow the car in front of you. Touring Assist doesn't allow for fully autonomous driving, but its driver assistance features automate certain functions in specific conditions, theoretically making driving safer and easier. It's a step toward fully autonomous driving, a technological foundation upon which self-driving systems can expand. We arrived in Japan in spring, expecting to see streets lined with cherry blossoms. Instead, we were met with a frigid downpour that later turned to snow on our first full day in Tokyo. While not ideal conditions for our first time driving in Tokyo traffic — or driving on the left side of the road in a right-hand-drive car — it allowed us to test out Touring Assist in less-than-perfect conditions. Check out the video above to see how that went. In all, we were pretty impressed with Touring Assist. What would have been a fraught drive in a foreign country on the wrong side of the road in crappy weather and heavy congestion was actually pretty relaxed and enjoyable.